Department of Music

Marina Roznitovsky Oster

Harp

Marina Roznitovsky Oster currently teaches harp at the University of Nevada, Reno and Truckee Meadows Community College. She is the Principal Harpist with the Reno Chamber Orchestra, Susanville Symphony and the Nevada Opera. She actively performs as a soloist and a number of her performances have been broadcast on National Israeli and US television and radio. In 2009 Marina represented Israel in the renowned International Harp Competition in Jerusalem and was featured on the Israeli News Channels.

Marina earned her BM, MM and PD in harp performance and pedagogy at Indiana University, under the tutelage of Distinguished Professor Susann McDonald. As a graduate student one of her most significant accomplishments was winning the first prize in the music category of the 2006 National Society of Arts and Letters competition in Bloomington, IN. She also performed on a worldwide tour with the West Eastern Divan Orchestra, under the baton of Mr. Daniel Barenboim.

Her determination to excel was rewarded with yearly recognitions of Highest Scholastic Achievements, throughout her studies. In addition, Marina was a recipient of the American Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship award four consecutive times. She also received multiple awards from the Dunie Weitzman Conservatory, Indiana University, Barenboim-Said Foundation, The Bureau of Jewish Education and other organizations.

Marina was born in Ukraine, and immigrated to Israel with her mother when she was six years old. She started musical training at the age of five with singing, piano lessons and dance. At the age of twelve she began studying harp under the instruction of Professor Olga Moitlis, making her first harp concerto début just a year later. At thirteen she was accepted as a harp and piano major at a specialized art school. She continued her extra curricular training at the Dunie Weitzman Conservatory under continuous scholarship. Harp proved to be Marina's calling and passion in life and her main goal is to share this passion through teaching and performing.